


Exodus

by Correnteza, Hystericlghosts



Category: American Horror Story, American Horror Story: Apocalypse, American Horror Story: Coven
Genre: AHS, American Horror Story: Apocalypse - Freeform, American Horror Story: Coven - Freeform, Apocalypse, Cordelia Foxx - Freeform, Cordelia Goode - Freeform, Coven Cast, Eventual Smut, F/F, Madison Montgomery - Freeform, Mallory - Freeform, Michael Langdon - Freeform, Misty Day - Freeform, Myrtle Snow - Freeform, Nan - Freeform, Post-Apocalypse, Zoe Benson - Freeform, american horror story - Freeform, could you imagine if this had been a roadtrip fic, coven - Freeform, fight me, foxxay - Freeform, goode-day, it's gonna be gay, it's inevitable, my sweet baby angel, neither does Ryan Murphy apparently, queenie - Freeform, she is the best character in this but it's not about her, she never died, she's a big player in this, she's alive too, the goddamn antichrist, we don't know why
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-17
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-08-03 16:54:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16329944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Correnteza/pseuds/Correnteza, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hystericlghosts/pseuds/Hystericlghosts
Summary: Foxxay/Goode-Day centered Apocalypse re-write. Cordelia bargains with Michael Langdon that he may take the test of The Seven Wonders if he can bring Misty Day back from the dead; Michael succeeds in both. Misty is now reunited with her coven once again but the witches must face the fresh threat of Michael as Supreme. When another prophecy rises that could turn the tide, Cordelia is left to wonder if she is powerful enough to protect both her coven and her heart. Will this be the prophecy to ring true?





	1. Episode 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hystericlghosts: So, my co-creator and I started this story before Misty was brought back in the show. We knew Lily Rabe would make an appearance as Misty Day and thought the character's resurrection would be inevitable. We've placed our timeline at the end of 8x03, post-apocalypse, when Cordelia goes to retrieve her witches from Compound Three. We decided to keep Madison and Queenie returning as is at the end of 8x04 as well as Michael's process of retrieving them. 
> 
> Correnteza: Michael is an adult when his bitch ass takes the test.
> 
> Future warnings will be applied individually for each chapter.

A smirk quirked Michael's thin lips, dark eyes smug and full of contempt as he looked down upon the  _ witches _ , their so called Supreme. He had known he was better, stronger, reigning over the best they had to offer, and he could feel the glowing eyes of his mentors on him from hell where he had more than likely sent them. Lip curling in a sneer, Michael gave Misty a firm shove without so much as even lifting a hand. "Your trinket," he said mockingly. “At least someone could be bothered to collect it for you." 

 

Misty stumbled to catch her balance, eyes burning with something uncharacteristic before she was all but falling against a particular familiar woman, gently gripping Cordelia's arms to steady herself. The contact with her eased Misty’s mind a little, but there was much anguish there and her head was still spinning from being dragged back to the world of the living.

 

One thing rang true in her thoughts however.

 

This was her fault. She was the bait. She had been used just to make the powerful woman crumble .

 

Cordelia had been struggling to continue boring holes into Michael’s head when Misty was really, truly in her presence again. In this realm, in this room. Her Misty. She had held her ground well until faltering as Misty was pushed into her, arms automatically encircling the younger woman as she resumed her glaring at Michael over Misty’s shoulder. Cordelia’s heart threatened to burst with relief she never thought she would experience of the witch being brought back into her arms. Rage threatened to reverberate through her body at the thought of anyone taking Misty away from her again. It began to waver moments later though as a feeling of guilt so strong engulfed her, her knees nearly buckling, but she willed herself to continue to stand in front of this deviant. 

 

She passed Misty back to Myrtle in one swift movement and locked her into the circle of witches as she stepped forward to meet him directly in the eyes. "You may have passed the test of The Seven Wonders but this isn’t over. You will destroy the sliver of balance this world is desperately trying to cling to by letting him work his ways through you.” This was risky and she knew it; she could still sense her powers, they were still there, but she could sense Michael’s, too. She couldn’t help the nagging thought at the back of her brain if this was the wisest thing to be doing right now, aggravating the man who had given back her light when he could just as easily snuff it out once again.

 

Michael chuckled at that, clasping his hands behind his back, "You're old, weak, and your traditions will die and crumble just as easily as you've allowed your own to. You've lost, Supreme. It is time to accept that the world of Matriarchy in magic is ending, giving rise to the truly powerful.”

 

Rolling her eyes, Madison made herself useful for the first time that evening and swept her hand, throwing a speaker into the wall behind him hard enough for an audible crack to be heard, the edge of the appliance skimming his arm.  Cordelia released a sharp breath, visibly bristling as the speaker was destroyed, small flames immediately wisping from the pile of debris. 

 

"For someone yammering on about how big your dick is, you're weaker than a dead teenager." Madison didn't so much as flinch when Michael faced her with smoldering eyes, raising her chin boldly with a smirk. "Sorry, sweetie, if you can't back up your talk, you shouldn't open your mouth."

 

"Madison!" she snapped in agitation, using her magic to push the girl back from Michael. They didn't need to anger him further when all Cordelia could think of was getting her witches back home. 

 

That is,  _ if _ their home was still standing. 

 

She silently prayed to the Goddess that her spell was still holding and that their academy would still be in one piece when they returned.

 

Misty's presence behind her calmed her slightly and helped her refocus. She flit her eyes to Mallory across from her, who stood behind Michael. The younger witch gave the smallest nod in return, ready with Cordelia's plan. A few more awkward moments were exchanged between Michael and Madison before the torches were suddenly extinguished, plummeting them into darkness. Cordelia hurried, casting the joint spell and backing the group up and down the tunnel toward the exit, hand low on Misty's back to make sure the woman kept up with them, desperately hoping Mallory made it out in time as she helped their diversion. From the moment Mallory snuffed out the torches to Cordelia making it outside into the dense, sickened fog, it felt like she was being dragged down by quicksand all around her; slick against her legs and heavy on her chest.

 

Zoe lingered in the mouth of the passageway, anxiety not calmed any by the total darkness they had been plunged into. Only after the light brush of warm fingertips seeking her out did her own fingers curl around Mallory's wrist to get the fuck out of there. She took up the rear, making sure the younger, less experienced (but still impressive nonetheless) witch was staying close to the tight packed group. She whispered praise to the girl, not leaving her side and casting a wary look behind them as she helped hurry them along. It was very clear to everyone in the group that this was not a safe place by any means, especially now.

 

Misty just focused on putting one foot in front of the other, blindly following Cordelia's guidance and grateful that the other witches seemed to know what they were doing in this damned maze. Her stomach churned with the guilt she couldn't shake, and honest to the goddesses above and below, she wished she were still dead because this was somehow even worse than the hell she kept reliving there.

 

Amongst the butchery of the wild and barren world once again, Cordelia followed through the rack and ruin. Once it was in sight, the Supreme closed ranks as she ushered everyone to the SUV, taking Misty's hand in hers to pull her along more quickly. When taking a brief look back to grab her hand, she caught actual sight of Zoe and Mallory, unable to hold back a sigh of relief.

 

Without hesitation, Madison jumped in the driver's seat, starting the vehicle and slamming the door. "Get in losers!" she yelled out the window with a growl before her head disappeared back into the vehicle.

 

"Be quick girls, the illusion spell I cast won't work long on him," Cordelia called as Queenie hurried for the passenger seat, the rest of her witches piling in. She stopped quickly to squeeze Misty’s hand gingerly before she ushered her into the car, following suit after a brief glance back at the compound.

 

Myrtle eyed the blonde behind the wheel, “We’re going to perish,” she mumbled under her breath. She had no doubt that the young woman was about to reenact every evasive maneuver from every car chase scene that she had ever seen. She made room for Zoe and Mallory, curiously regarding the newest young one from behind her glasses. “Very promising,” she mused, mostly to herself.

 

Queenie tried not to be so damn amused by the screech of tires. She had barely managed to clasp her seat belt before they were thrown into motion. "One crazy bitch," she commented, checking the mirrors to verify nothing was after them just yet.

 

Misty winced a little at the sound, or perhaps it was the way she slid along the very back of the vehicle without being secured. She tucked herself into a corner, brow furrowed as she chanced a glance out the rear windshield at the place they were leaving behind. The evil they were escaping.

  
"What... what was that?" She asked quietly, speaking for the first time.

 

Cordelia eyed Misty at the question, unsure of how to answer. That the son of Satan himself was going to try and kill them all? Or that the entire world had been consumed by death, plague, and radiation? Before Misty could prod further, the ground shook violently, jostling the witches drastically, Madison cursing as she took a moment to gain control of the wheel.

 

"You think he realized we're gone?" Madison asked brazenly after getting the vehicle on a mostly straight course again. 

  
"The illusion wore off," Cordelia replied solemnly, reaching across Misty to buckle her seat belt before her own.

  
"I'm surprised that worked. It held him for longer than I thought it would," Zoe spoke. "That was just an illusion spell you cast?”

 

“I couldn’t have done it alone,” Cordelia hummed.

  
Mallory fidgeted in her seat, unable to contain the small smile that graced her lips. "I might have helped a bit, besides just killing the lights,” she confessed softly.

  
Zoe smirked slightly at Mallory. "That's my girl."

Mallory tried not to smile too much at the words, ignoring the gentle heat brought to her cheeks. Before she could even fumble over a reply, she was swearing, gripping the seat in front of her to steady herself again. 

 

"No offense," Madison interrupted, "but he should have been able to see through that spell easily." She swerved hard, smashing the witches against the right side of the vehicle, Queenie commenting about her license needing to be revoked. "It is," she sneered, before continuing. "I think he let us get away." The statement still held that typical Madison bite to it, but she had been unusually quiet this time around.

 

Misty felt her stomach churn at the long moments of the car under no control whatsoever, uneasy with cars to begin with due to a touch of motion sickness. She hadn’t failed to notice that Cordelia had ignored her question, and she looked to the window only to be rather intimately acquainted with it when she was thrown up against it moments later. At least that offered a small distraction from the gnawing paranoia that the lack of answer was because the other witch was mad at her.

  
A swat landed on the skinny bitch's arm for the driving before sighing, "As much as I hate to agree with," Queenie gestured at the driver, "this. I think she's right for once."

 

"Why though?" Mallory cut in, brow furrowed as she glanced around, but it was the elder who spoke up. 

  
"Males are silly little trivial creatures who always make the mistake of underestimating their opponents. He thinks this is something to gloat over, to let us wallow in defeat."

 

"He's just toying with us," Misty didn't look from the window, voice a mere murmur. "Just like a big cat with a bird."

 

Cordelia looked to Misty and offered a gentle smile as she rested a hand on her knee. Her own guilt burned at the back of her throat; by bargaining for Misty she had let Michael win. She had so selfishly and easily given up her title as Supreme to bring back the final piece of her life that had been missing. Cordelia couldn’t help but feel she had sabotaged them, caused them to be vulnerable at the most inopportune time. 

 

A small smile was returned by quivering lips, Misty dropping her gaze again and listening to the others speak. A warm, wrinkled hand patted her own, and she offered Myrtle the same thin smile without looking up before the woman had turned again. 

  
Mallory peered over the backseat. "What are we going to do now?" A few exchanged glances, no one saying anything for a prolonged moment. 

 

Cordelia spoke up, “As long as I’m in charge of this coven, he will not reign. Our ancestors and all witches that have come before us have persevered through many efforts to be persecuted by a patriarchy with ill intent, and each time we have arisen only stronger. We go home, we gather our resources, and we decide our best course of action from there.” 

 

Myrtle turned in her seat once more, cautiously turning her whole body to lesson the strain on her neck as she appraised the woman she had always viewed as a daughter. "Precisely, my dear. We are but a small representation of our full numbers, and I quite frankly will enjoy watching the little boy shit himself when he realizes exactly what he has put himself up against."

 

"Pussy power, bitches," Madison smirked, and it was far too likely on purpose when she didn't slow down for the next sharp turn. Queenie could fucking swear the vehicle had gone onto only two wheels for a second there, eyes smoldering as she watched her companion.

 

"If we weren't running to get our asses away from this demonic Twilight freak I would remove you from this vehicle so fast, so fucking help me," Queenie snapped at Madison who had finally gotten them to a stretch of open road that didn't appear to be beset with bodies. 

  
"Just run them over rather than giving us all slight to major contusions!" Myrtle huffed indignantly, straightening her glasses for the fifth time already on this ride.

 

"Ew, that's gross! I might be a hateful bitch but I'm not nasty." Queenie and Zoe both shot her a look. "Okay, not that nasty," she defended herself a little quieter.

 

Cordelia had spaced out partly, the bantering becoming white noise as she tried to fully come to terms with what she had done. She had risked so much for herself and her coven, and for possibly anyone else still alive in this wasteland. How had her coven allowed this of her? Not that they had much of a say against the decision of The Supreme, but why had not  _ one _ of her girls spoken up to how foolish of an idea this was? Had they wanted Misty back just as much as she? Even Madison had complied, begrudgingly. They supported her in this fight without a moment's doubt, blind faith in their Supreme. This time Cordelia wasn't sure if this was something they should have encouraged.

 

Queenie hated the mental power play that came with trying to take control of Madison’s hands so carelessly controlling the wheel, the effort in itself starting a whole new argument that had more than one party in the car massaging their temples. The bickering continued, growing in volume until a loud noise sliced through the air, cutting them all off. A low, long siren, somewhere between the usual wail and a foghorn. 

  
Mallory could faintly remember hearing it from before she had been dragged into that shelter or whatever it had been passed off as. It had made more sense back then though, when the threat was new. Not now, when it was older. "Why do they still have the alarms? Everyone is dead..."

 

Misty took less comfort in that knowledge than the unease that had pierced straight to the pit of her stomach with the sound. "What's going on?" She finally tore her eyes from the window, looking around the vehicle for explanation, for anyone to tell her why she had been dragged back only to step out into a world full of nothing but death and decay.

 

Zoe spoke first, someone to finally answer Misty's burning curiosity. “We were bombed a year and a half ago.”

  
"Welcome to the United Wastes of America," Madison piped in.

  
Cordelia automatically slammed Madison's head back into the headrest to silence her, speaking up before the insolent girl could cause any more damage. "They were nuclear bombs," she started softly but surely, looking directly at Misty. "Most of the population perished, and of those who are left," she took in a sharp breath, releasing it heavily, "aren't doing too well."    
  


Mallory tensed, thinking of how the past year and a half had been. Life had been miserable, but sustainable. Working for Venable and her cohorts could have been worse, she was aware of that, but reminiscing on it made her grow uneasy, looking out the window with a hard swallow at the everlasting badlands.

 

Misty wasn't even sure what to say as she took it all in. Had she really been gone so long that humanity had finally turned on itself enough to eradicate everyone? She wanted to ask more, wanted to ask how they had survived, how bad the other survivors were, if it was only their country or the whole world. The woman wasn't sure she really wanted any of those answers though.

  
"She's right," she eventually spoke in her quiet drawl, "what's the point of the sirens then?"   
  


Zoe was hesitant to answer, keeping her gaze carefully on Mallory and giving her arm a soft, sympathetic squeeze as if that could take the sting out of her words to answer the question that had been asked twice now. "I think it's become...symbolic, you could say. The beginning of the free-for-all for the scavengers out here. The cannibals, the hunters, the condemned..."

 

Tears pricked Misty's eyes, her elbows resting on her knees and forehead in her palms. She could feel the suffering crying out from the earth below, from the air surrounding them, from the unholy dead littering their path. She closed her eyes and tried to breathe slowly, grounding herself against the news and willing someone, anyone, to speak.

 

"You sure know how to lighten the mood, don't you, killer cunt?" Madison rolled her eyes, carelessly taking her hands from the wheel to connect her phone to the sound system. She wasn't particularly concerned when they began veering off the road, finding a song and hitting play before turning it up a good few notches too loud to distract them all from the grim reality they faced as she continued to drive. Only then did she so generously return them to the road.

 

Cordelia released another heavy sigh as the chords rose, turning to the distressed woman beside her. She did everything she could to rescue Misty from her personal hell, but she had also known there would be a period of time before the woman could start to acclimate to the new world around them. Cordelia rested one arm across Misty’s huddled form, the other reaching under her and across her stomach to securely pull her in. She drew soothing circles methodically against her back before resting her chin against the witch’s shoulder blade, only able to think of how all she wanted was to get Misty and the rest of her coven home.

 

Notes: (They're here instead since for some reason our end of chapter notes aren't being added in properly.) Hystericlghosts: Thank you to everyone who's given this a read! Much appreciated and hope you'll stick around for what's to come. Misty and Cordelia will get their proper, sweet, gooey reunion in the next chapter, promise. Correnteza and I will be trying to post chapters weekly. Also, how are people feeling about ZoexMallory? Let us know what you think.

Enjoy tonight's episode; back to the Murder House we go!

Please feel free to comment, give kudos, and subscribe!


	2. Episode 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our favorite witches make it back to Miss Robichaux's Academy and do a bit of catching up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hystericlghosts: Thank you to anyone who gave feedback on our first chapter, it's great to hear you're enjoying it so far! A heads up, this chapter is quite longer than the first. The chapters probably won't all be this long but we couldn't find a decent place to cut it with what we have planned coming up.
> 
> Correnteza: Buckle up, bitches, this is the chapter where we start giving the gays everything they want.

Cordelia was unsure of how she had fallen asleep with Madison's music blaring, waking groggily across Misty's back. She sat up, accidentally startling the blonde under her in the process. Cordelia rubbed her back again with a soft murmur and a comforting smile before she looked past her out the window. The sky was starting to darken, the shadow of the vehicle nearly lost in the encroaching night.

Misty rubbed her eyes slowly, having fallen in and out of a almost trance-like state while the others slept, her weary mind shutting itself down from the numbing news since she doubted she would ever sleep again with all that had happened today. Almost without realizing it, she leaned into Cordelia's touch, not admitting aloud in even a whisper how much she had longed for the woman's comfort or even salvation in the eternity she had spent away. She tried not to think about if the other woman simply hadn't been able to do what the devil had, or if she hadn't wanted to. Misty couldn't even hazard a guess where they were, much less how far from that evil place, so she just kept quiet, gaze finding the window again. 

"Why haven't we tried transmuting back to the house?" Queenie finally spoke. It had been quiet in the car for a while; Madison's music had stopped at some point and a couple soft snores had interrupted the stillness every now and then but other than that the witches had been completely silent.

"Yeah, we used transmutation to get us less than an hour out from the outpost, why couldn't we have just done the same thing on the way back?" Zoe asked.

"Because we need to get far enough away before trying so. If there's any way Michael can track us by our magic or find a way to interfere with our returning home, then it will be too late," Cordelia confirmed.

"We're already risking it each time you use your magic to put more gas in the car; so what would stop Michael from being able to do that if it really was a problem?" Madison asked with a roll of her eyes. "I'm getting tired of this, I cannot be stuck with all of you for another twenty hours," she groaned.

“We know school was never your strong suit dear, but surely even you can figure out that adjusting the amount of liquid in a fuel tank uses far less energy than transmuting seven people,” Myrtle eyed the driver as if the answer should have been painfully obvious. The next words were spoken slowly as if she were talking to a particularly dim toddler, “Meaning the risk of leaving a palpable trail is much more minute.” She was rather unaffected by the glare Madison shot her way.

"Oh, shut the hell up you old bag," Madison said with a roll of her eyes. "I say, each person transmutes themselves back to the house and if they don't think it's safe, then they can find someone else to drive them there if they don't want to be cannibal chow, because I'm not sitting in this car for another day with you pussies." Madison suddenly slammed on the breaks, jostling everyone forward unceremoniously.

“Haven't we put enough distance between us and them by now though?” Queenie glanced in the rearview mirror to look back at the older witches, just wanting to be back at the academy and away from the psychopath in control of the vehicle and, to an extent, their lives. 

Assorted groans and exclamations sounded in the vehicle. Madison unbuckled her seatbelt, only getting the driver's door open halfway when Cordelia slammed it. "Miss Montgomery, we are sticking together, regardless of if you like it or not. So whether that means we all use transmutation to get back to the house or we continue to drive, we are together. Understood?" 

Madison rolled her eyes as she turned around in her seat to look back at her. "So, you're willing to give it a shot now?"

Cordelia nodded to her. "If someone as powerful as he can track our magic, than it would have already been done." 

"We may as well give it a try before Miss Priss here starts a civil war," Queenie jabbed, her unease quickly morphing into agitation.

"What if we can't do it?" Everyone turned to look at Mallory at the question, who sat sheepishly in her seat as she nervously played with her fingernails. "Zoe never got to teaching me how yet."

Zoe felt a blush of embarrassment rise up her neck and creep onto her face, clearing her throat. 

"Well my dear, you could say she was a bit on the fence about it," Myrtle interjected then, trying her best to hide the snigger that threatened to slip past her lips.

Misty’s brow furrowed at the audible amusement in Myrtle’s voice, but rather than question it, she studied the young woman for a moment, voice quiet. “It's not hard, hun. One of the easier things you can learn from other folk.” Her eyes were distant, a million miles away. “You just focus on where you need to be, the memories, the feeling there, and you make it happen.” 

Zoe nodded at the words, feeling a little guilty that they had never gotten around to it, giving her prized student's shoulder a gentle squeeze, trying very hard to ignore the remark from Myrtle. Truth be told, she had purposely avoided teaching Mallory for that very reason. Sure, she had improved quite a bit and avoided incident for a while, but she didn't want to manage to get this girl in that kind of predicament somehow. 

Madison rolled her eyes, “Look, if the kebab here couldn't be bothered to teach you, bitter bitch in the back can. Or I'm sure even she can manage to just drag you along with her if you can't do it. It's easy as fuck though, so, if you can't pull it off, you're just deadweight.”

“With your driving it's a miracle we all aren't,” Queenie mumbled, rolling her eyes and studying the student they had rescued to see if she would be capable of this. 

"Transmutation can be a slight more difficult matter, I would hate for a repeat of before," Cordelia noted, looking between Mallory and Zoe. "I've never tried transmuting another witch along with myself, but we can try our best," she offered Mallory with a reassuring smile.

"What if she just gets you two wound up somewhere that isn't the house? What if it separates you from the rest of us?" Madison growled.

"Madison, we're wasting time just by sitting here. We should either continue to drive or Cordelia tries it," Queenie ushered. "Zoe, I'll do it with you, promise," she said, turning to look back at her. She was met with a tentative smile and a nod of the head.

Mallory's eyes flicked from face to face in the idle SUV, taking in the details of each with a shaky breath. "Cordelia, we can't risk it, what if it's because of me that you and I don't get back to the house? What if it traps us somewhere we can't escape? That’ll definitely make us more vulnerable to Michael than we already are."

"My dear, I have full faith in Cordelia that she will get you both there with nothing but success," Myrtle drawled, offering her a hopeful smile.

"I'm sorry, but the new girl might actually have a point. No offense Cordelia, but if you two get stuck, you're probably the main course of the occult platter Michael is putting together. If Cordelia couldn’t save us from our personal hells, then there’s no one who can; call me selfish, but I’m not losing you guys again,” Madison sighed in defeat.

"Did you just say something nice to us?" Queenie asked with the slightest smirk.

"Yes, cherish it," Madison quietly chided back at her, turning the key in the ignition again.

The moment the car rumbled to life, a few voices began to object, and Madison was in the process of turning back to screech at them when they were all startled into silenced by what happened next. In the blink of an eye, literally, the SUV suddenly appeared on the lawn of Miss Robichaux's with every witch still in it, not a single hair's difference about any of them.

“How the fuck…” Zoe was the first to speak, though her gaze was already on Mallory, knowing damn well that none of the witches in her presence were able to pull something of that magnitude off, hence the bitching and moaning that had taken place. 

“I don’t know how I did that,” Mallory breathed shakily, looking out the window to confirm they were indeed back on the academy’s grounds.

“Damn, bitch has potential,” Queenie eyed the student again with a new appreciation. She had, of course, been subjected to Zoe’s gushing about the girl, and knew something was special about her, but this was an entirely new surprise. 

“Magnificent, nothing short of brilliant,” Myrtle’s praise was glowing even as she immediately reached for the door and slid it open to step out into the cool air and stretch her stiff joints. “Just in time for a proper meal, too, we can hope.”

Madison rolled her eyes as she was finally permitted to open her door and get the hell out. "This just in, local prodigy can transmute a full vehicle, but can't manage to park in the fucking driveway, making this place even more of a dump."

Misty glanced at the unfamiliar witch curiously, a grin playing on her lips for just a moment, hand squeezing a shoulder before she was following the eldest woman's example and slipping outside. Her eyes immediately traveled what had previously been her home, faintly listening to the other speakers as her gaze found the redhead, still feeling rather left in the dark as to what all was going on.

“How… how did he bring us all back, especially when I was there so long? I mean… did he do that-that dark evil stuff with the others?” Her arms wrapped around herself, unsure if the chill was from the air or from discomfort. 

“I think it's best you get some rest before we work on all of that,” Myrtle said gently, masking the fact that she couldn't answer those questions at this time.

Cordelia was last to exit the vehicle, coming up to stand beside Misty. "You and Mallory have been away from us for quite some time. Especially you." She said that last part a tad quieter, a hand coming up to rest on her shoulder. Misty met her eyes before casting a glance towards Mallory. "I think I would have to agree with Myrtle though in waiting until later to talk about what's happened.”

Before Misty was able to object, the doors to the academy swung wide to reveal a familiar face. The guardian of the house stepped out onto the porch. “Took you long enough,” she said with an amused smirk.

“Nan,” Cordelia grinned, clutching her skirts in her hands as she ascended the steps swiftly. 

"Miss Cordelia, I'm so glad you made it back with everyone," Nan sighed in relief, embracing her fully. 

"Me too," she said, willing away tears. Cordelia released her from the hug after a long moment, looking back to the house and then to Nan again. "Appears to still be standing; anyone give you any trouble?" she asked with a hint of a playful grin.

"Nope. I held the shield and reinforced it just as you taught me," Nan smiled back.

Cordelia nodded in approval to her council member before turning back to the rest of her coven.

Misty smiled to Nan, trying to take in just how much the witch who had defended their home had changed since she last saw her. When she stepped forward to extend a gentle but warm embrace, she was joined by Queenie. Misty wanted so direly to say how wonderful it was to be back together with them, but her head was still swimming and her words just wouldn't cooperate.

Nan gave her a knowing smile however, nodding as she hugged her fellow witches just a bit tightly. "You all must be hungry, maybe we can catch up a bit before you get your rest."

"Food sounds fantastic, Driving Miss Crazy over here kept trying to kill us with her amateur stunt woman shit so we couldn't so much as even think about food without feeling sick." Queenie eyed Madison, who merely rolled her eyes and flipped them off.

"Did you die? No, so shut the fuck up."

Myrtle shook her head at the bickering, pinching the bridge of her nose against the headache that had been building. "Allow us to continue this inside, it's been far too cramped in that vehicle for far too many hours.”

Cordelia held the door open, momentarily weakening the shield to accommodate the witches as they crossed the threshold. She couldn't help but smile fondly as they passed, her heart threatening to burst as Misty paused a moment to look at her before ducking her head and continuing past her into the house. Cordelia looked after her, distracted from the action by a sudden chill that ran up her spine and traveled through the rest of her body, deep into her blood and bones. Mallory had been the last to enter.

It hadn't necessarily been unpleasant; it reminded her closely of a refreshing, frigid breeze slamming against her while standing in the sands on the coast in the early hours of the morning, where no one yet stirred but Gaia herself, a conductor of the tides and waves and the creatures that resided there. Cordelia shook her head to clear her mind, pushing the sensation aside as she walked in and brought the shield back up.

Some of them had already gathered around the long dining table while a couple members of the coven rummaged around in the kitchen. Queenie and Nan took turns bringing out small various food items, Zoe setting the table as Myrtle followed behind her, scrutinizing her placement setting and carefully altering it when the younger witch wasn't paying attention. Madison lounged in a chair off to the side of the room, upside down with feet dangling over the back of it as she stared off at nothing in particular, deeply in thought.

Mallory looked around slowly, taking in the place she had once called home. There were less of them now, that was for sure, but everything else seemed to be mostly the same. Her fingertips skimmed over the titles before pulling on one of the older texts. She felt the raised gold lettering on the spine in remembrance before even letting the book fall open. Mallory smiled as she looked through the spell book, lost in the recognizable words as she eased back into her old world.

Misty initially was too spellbound by being surrounded by her old life, looking over every inch of the foyer and gently grazing her fingers along the walls as if that could absorb the energy of the place directly into her being. She knew things had changed, it was evident enough, but it was still somewhere she felt like she could actually belong. Curious eyes followed Mallory for just a moment, intrigued by the girl she had never had a chance to meet, but the grumble of her stomach swept her instead to the dining room to sit beside old friends and finally experience food again. Her body was catching up to just how long it had been without nourishment and she was ravenous.

Zoe smiled at the swamp witch before her own gaze was guided away, keeping an eye on her previous student as she poked around. She could remember mulling over those spellbooks with her, teaching her the ways of bibliomancy. It was only when Myrtle was lightly shaking her shoulder that she snapped out of her memory and looked to the older woman.

"Darling, poor Nan has been asking you three times now for your assistance. Are you quite alright?" There was a hint of concern in those eyes, as if Myrtle was afraid their time in that wretched underground hovel may have affected the young woman more than expected.

Zoe just nodded, offering up an almost sheepish smile and an apology before rising to help her friend with the task at hand. Faintly, she listened to the low murmur of of conversation between Queenie and Cordelia, evidently concerned about what the next step should be.

Nan finished bringing out the last of the accoutrements for their meal, surveying the assortment on the table with a nod of satisfaction as Zoe passed by with a couple pitchers of water. Nan called them to sit, the group culminating around the table briefly before they were all settled. Conversation came in waves, though it had been mostly quiet at first, all of them too hungry to talk.

"I missed it here," Mallory said, finally speaking up. She felt slightly out of place from having been gone for such a length of time, but did her best to delve back into the dynamics of the household. "I know it's been a while but being here... is the best I've felt in what feels like an eternity." 

Those around her nodded in agreement, small to ecstatic smiles on all of their faces.

Well, except one.

"What the hell are we doing about Michael?" Madison demanded, uninterestedly flicking some food across her plate with her fork. 

"It's not like there's anything we can do right now," Zoe replied.

"Bullshit." Madison dropped her fork onto her plate with a loud clang. "Isn't there some spell or curse or whatever that we can cast right now? We can't just sit back and let him think he's won."

"We can't go in blindly, either," Zoe countered calmly.

"We can take him, he may be the new Supreme or whatever the hell he thinks he is but we still have Cordelia." Madison faltered for a moment, her mouth opening and closing before forcing herself to ask her question. "You still have your powers, right?"

Cordelia was put on the spot, all eyes moving to fall on her. She stopped, wiping her mouth with her napkin before raising her head to meet their gaze. "Yes. I do. Zoe is right; we can't just attack without a thought out plan. I will protect you all with my life, until my very last breath, that I guarantee," she swallowed at the statement, "but I'm going to need your help, too."

"No, we could fucking charge right in. If I learned one goddamn thing when I got here, it's that a stone cold bitch can do anything, and maybe that's who we fucking need around here." Madison was practically crackling with agitation, and for just a sliver of a moment she may have regretted the sharp tone, but she knew she was right. She huffed out a sigh at the disapproving look she was shot, mumbling something under her breath before standing. "If you want to be sitting ducks for the night, that's fucking fine by me."

Queenie shook her head as she watched the scrawny blonde slink off like a sulking animal before her gaze found their Supreme again. "You know you have our full support, Miss Cordelia. We'll do everything we can to stop this sick fuck."

"We just need to be rational about our approach, blindly and full of emotion isn't going to get us anywhere," Cordelia watched Madison go before resting a hand on Queenie's in appreciation of the verbal support.

"Whatever it takes, we're prepared to stand with you every step of the way," Misty finally offered up some words between bites, gaze lingering on the woman across from her only to feel a shift in mood when multiple pairs of eyes moved to her.

"Uh..." Zoe looked for a delicate way to ask the question on her mind, frowning to herself. "Did being...away for so long affect your power? I mean, can you still...?"

"Zoe, darling, she's a natural born witch, of course she still has her full potential at hand, right?" Myrtle glanced to Misty, then to Cordelia, having no doubt that the girl was perfectly fine but still curious to see what they seemed to think.

That was a good question, one Cordelia wondered herself briefly. "I would assume so. Each time any of you girls has been brought back your powers have remained and even manifested. We'll know in due time," she said, wanting to end the conversation and stop the uneasiness growing in the pit of her stomach.

Nan finished her food, standing and clearing her spot at the table. "As much as I've missed you guys, I’m going to go; it's way too loud around all of you," she sighed in irritation.

"I'm going to excuse myself, too." Queenie did the same, gathering Madison's plate as well as her own with a small eye roll, "I'm beat after having no choice but to participate in Timbuktu Drift.”

Queenie and Nan made their way through the kitchen and then up the stairs, Mallory looking after them as they went to their rooms.

Zoe caught her glancing after them, realization striking her before turning to Mallory beside her. "You must be exhausted. I don’t doubt they were constantly keeping you on your toes at the outpost."

Mallory briefly nodded, raising her eyebrows in agreement. "They did. However, you get used to it."

Zoe's face fell, wishing they had never sent Mallory away, but knowing they had to for her overall protection. She knew it had killed Cordelia to make the call, and had near shattered Zoe herself to lose her... closest apprentice. "Take your time eating and when you're done we can go find a room for you," she said gently with a comforting smile.

Mallory nodded, giving a soft smile in return as she finished the last bite of her dinner roll. "Really, after surviving on one cube meal a day at the outpost, my appetite is pretty minimal." She rose from her seat, inclining her head to the remaining witches at the table. "It's great to see you again," her gaze moved to the witch she had never had the chance to meet, giving her a kind smile, "and I hope to get to know you more tomorrow."

Zoe smiled to herself at that, bidding her fellow witches a goodnight before gently leading her companion away to find her a room to sleep in. Once they were out of view of their coven, her fingers almost shyly brushed against Mallory's before tentatively lacing with them, grip gentle so the other woman could pull away if she so desired as she led her up the stairs.

Mallory felt a blush creep up her neck and onto her cheeks, relieved that the house was dimly lit so Zoe wouldn't be able to see her face clearly enough as they ascended the stairs, but Mallory knew Zoe was well aware of the effect she had on her. She let their fingers remain together loosely, following her in a peaceful silence.

Myrtle took a slow sip from her mug as she surveyed the remaining women at the table with her. "Misty, dear, how are you feeling? I do so dearly hope that you still feel at home here despite the minor aesthetic changes to appearance. The new children are quite... amateur designers it would seem."

"It's still a bit of a whirlwind, you know," a small shrug and thin smile were offered up. "It's just good to be home." Misty tugged her shawl a little closer as if that could take away the chill that lingered on her skin, chase away the memory of what she had seen. "I didn't even dare to hope I could see this place again, let alone any of you."

Cordelia watched Misty fondly as she spoke; she had stopped eating earlier due to her stomach being in knots, but the kind conversation between the three of them was light and just what she needed in order to calm down again.

"I am delighted that you're back with your coven. Not a day went by that I didn't wish I could so desperately bring you home to us," Cordelia confessed.

Myrtle hummed in agreement as she adjusted her glasses, nothing but a fond expression garnishing her face. "My child, you did it. You finally brought everyone back together." Cordelia opened her mouth to protest, Myrtle silencing her with a wave of her hand. "It does not matter the way or how; you brought two of our most powerful and beloved witches home this day."

Cordelia forced her mouth shut, her eyes cast downward as she nodded. "Yes, you're right,” she somberly agreed, unable to shake the guilt that kept gnawing at her insides and constricting her heart.

"Oh, I know I am, dear," she chuckled, removing the napkin from her lap as she stood. "You two get some rest; especially you, dear spirit," she patted Misty's shoulder.

Misty smiled to herself at the kind words, but she felt guilt tug at the pit of her stomach again. Sure, she was home again, with her family again, but at what cost to them? Something kept telling her she should have been left in that hellish plane, rather than being brought forth to manipulate the woman so dear to her.

She finally nodded, giving her a grateful smile. "Sleep well," she spoke softly in return before looking to Cordelia as they were left alone at the table, a place that in another time they could share some forbidden treats and quiet laughter.

Cordelia watched the elder woman retire on up the staircase, releasing a breath she felt like she had been holding all day. It frazzled her, all that had happened since they had woken up that morning, but what overwhelmed her the most was the witch next to her. "It still feels like a dream that you're really, truly here," she murmured, reaching out to stick a strand of wild hair behind Misty's ear.

Misty was pulled from the rather unwelcome thoughts by that gentle touch, unable to contain her smile as her eyes found the other woman's. "If this is a dream, I think it's the best I'll ever have, Miss Cordelia." The title was playful, but of course she respected her Supreme. Her own hands, still cool with the chill she had yet to shake, rose to softly cup warm cheeks, gaze scrutinizing those brown orbs, biting her lip as her grin threatened to spread before she could finally compose herself. "I never got the chance to know how pretty your eyes are."

Cordelia realized this was the first time Misty had actually seen her eyes; the first time they met Cordelia had been blind, then briefly had time to admire the beauty of the swamp witch when she had the eyes Myrtle had procured for her, and then lost Misty in her arms once again without being able to gaze upon her one last time before she was whisked away to the underworld. Cordelia stared straight back at her, hands coming up to grab her wrists gently, fingers lingering on her pulse points to be reassured by the vibration that went through her fingertips. Misty was living and breathing, her body pumping blood in and out of her heart to help this woman be in Cordelia’s life again.

"Thank you, I'm, um, flattered," she blushed.

Misty's smile didn't falter as she looked into those dark eyes, an honest to God giggle threatening to escape her lips at the way the other woman's cheeks tinted pink. Her thumbs gently caressed those flushed cheeks, body leaning forward slowly until her forehead rested against Cordelia's for a moment.

"I missed you, and I really don't know if it was worth it for you, but thank you for bringing me here." The words were so quiet, barely audible at all as Misty finally dropped her gaze. "I know that you shouldn't have, not with whatever he is, but.. thank you for doing it anyway." She told herself the stinging in her eyes most certainly was not the threat of tears, especially when she couldn't tell if she was happy to be here again or if she was more so feeling guilty for what she had been used against her fellow witches for. 

The small laugh that Misty released had Cordelia's heart swell; she had missed that sound more than anything and had wondered if she would ever hear it again. Cordelia let Misty finish talking, enjoying the moments as they rested against each other. When there was a moment of silence, she began to speak, kindly but firmly. 

"Misty, I've missed you, too. More than words could ever say. Don't you dare think I wouldn't do it again; our little coven is back together finally and that's all that matters to me." Cordelia hated the fact that Misty of all people seemed to be worrying over the agreement she had made with Michael.

Misty nodded a little at that, her fingers moving to play nervously with Cordelia's as she tried to gather the courage to say her next words. A gentle touch to the other woman's hand preceded the shaky whisper, "I just don't want to make you regret it." Misty knew she was powerful, she knew she was an asset. She didn't doubt for a second that Cordelia truly had missed her, but she hadn't been strong enough to pass that test after all.

"You never will, so drop it," she said softly. Cordelia stilled Misty's fingers in her own, causing her to look up at her. She held her gaze for a minute before standing up, pulling Misty with her. "Now, you must be exhausted. Let's find you a room."

"Bossy as ever," Misty joked softly to lighten the mood a little as she obediently rose, nodding at the words. She was exhausted, but she wasn't sure that sleep would come to her. "How many other new people did I miss showing up around here?"

At the question, Cordelia realized how much Misty had truly missed. "Oh, many.” Cordelia’s bittersweet smile was fleeting. “I made the decision to go public after becoming Supreme. With everything that happened involving the witch hunters, I decided it was safer this way, and by doing so we helped a lot of young girls and women discover their true selves who were able to practice openly in a safe environment as witches." Cordelia had begun to lead Misty up the stairs, delving a little deeper into the topic as they went. "We had so many submissions and acceptances that we had several girls to a room. We were even looking into a second location in Baton Rouge, but after a while we realized the extra accommodations wouldn't be necessary."

Misty took it all in, nodding slowly as her brow furrowed. "With so many people, how did you fit them all here instead of having to expand?" It was no surprise at all that the other woman had opened the door for their fellow witches to offer safety and knowledge to young girls in danger. She looked around slowly, taking in the familiar scenery as they went upstairs. "How many of them are still around?

Cordelia's throat tightened, now wishing she had kept most of what she'd said to herself, at least for tonight. She stopped them outside one of the many rooms that littered the hallway, pausing with her hand on the door knob. "We made do for a while. A couple small renovations here and there. Things were a bit cramped and it took some adjustment for us all, but it was nice, actually. It finally felt like the school my mother had told me she was raised in." Cordelia’s tone then changed, "Unfortunately, our numbers began to dwindle again. Girls started going missing. A couple bodies were found here and there. We did expect foul play from the start, but there was no evidence to link it to any one particular person, so we had our assumptions. That we can finish discussing later." Cordelia shook her head, turning the knob and letting the door fall open. “The bombs took out the rest of the girls; it's just us now."

Misty swallowed at the words, nodding slowly as she wrapped her arms around herself, letting the unsavory words sink in. "That's horrible," she whispered, not having any other words for what happened to a plethora of young women she hadn't even had the chance to meet. The initial remark brought questions she didn't dare to ask, only for that final statement to remind her of the dire present. 

One, if not more, of those girls had lived in this room, thinking they would be safe here, among their kind and in a school meant for them. One, if not more, of those girls had been wrong, and were paying the price for it. The swamp witch wasn't sure what would be worse, knowing the women were no longer alive, or just knowing they hadn't been found. She hovered at the doorway, fingers curling tentatively around the wood.

When Misty did finally step into the room, her body went rigid, and immediately she balked back out, shaking her head and bringing her hands up as though to cover her ears or hide her face. Even she couldn't tell what she needed to block out more as the sensory overload sent her blindly staggering back towards the hall. "I can feel the death pooling and rotting in this room. I can almost smell it and hear their voices.” Truth be told, she could hear something, but she desperately shoved it away, burying it under the sound of her own blood pumping in her ears. 

Cordelia's eyes widened, immediately shutting the door in a panic and cursing herself mentally at her obliviousness; of course Misty would have been able to pick up on the girls who had previously resided here.

“Oh, Misty, I am so sorry, I shouldn't have forgotten." She took a step towards the woman, hands automatically bringing Misty's into her own and holding onto them firmly. "I'll see if you can room with one of the girls or-" Cordelia stopped to think for a brief moment, running a few different options over in her mind before deciding promptly. "Me. You can sleep with me for now, until I can fully cleanse a room for you."

Misty only nodded, holding tight to those hands as if they were her lifeline. It took a few moments to collect herself enough to speak, the residual grief still crawling over her. "Are you sure it isn't any trouble? I can find a blanket or something and sleep downstairs." She really didn't want to be alone, but she didn't want to be a burden to the other woman, who already had enough on her plate to think about that night without worrying about her as well. It didn't help knowing that damn near every room in the hall would be crawling with that same feeling. 

"I'm certain," Cordelia insisted, tugging her closer. "There is no way you're sleeping on the couch, either. You've been away so long, you deserve a bed to sleep. It's plenty big enough for the both of us, come." Cordelia continued to lead her down the hallway towards her bedroom, keeping the witch close.

Misty held her shawl tighter around her shoulders, allowing the words to calm her as she followed Cordelia. Her posture relaxed visibly, the room soothing her as the comfort of Cordelia's energy wrapped around her, replacing the negativity crawling on her skin. Slowly, nearly spellbound, she walked to the bed, taking a seat on a corner of it and turning her big doe eyes to her Supreme again.

Cordelia bent over to run a hand through Misty’s wild locks affectionately before making her way to the dresser. "I have a couple of nightshirts in here somewhere," she mumbled in thought, rifling through the drawers for a good moment before pulling one out triumphantly. "You're welcome to change into this if you'd like; I can't imagine you'd be comfortable sleeping in the same clothes you've been in for such a long time," she said gingerly, holding out the garment.

A grateful smile accompanied the nod, "Thank you, Cordelia," she said in her sweet drawl, allowing her fingertips to drag along the older woman's arm as she took the free shirt and slipped into the bathroom to change into it. She neatly folded the clothes she stripped from her body, setting them aside for morning before washing her face with some lukewarm water, letting herself revel in the simple action for a few moments.

When she pulled the nightshirt over her head, a small smile curved her lips, the other witch's scent evident on the fabric. Clean clothes and something as menial as washing her face almost made her feel like she really was alive again, a small boost to her mood. It didn't exactly hurt that being literally surrounded with the familiar trace of an old friend helped to push away the crawling film of death and unease that tried to cling to her. When she returned to Cordelia, Misty gave her a smile that turned into a grin at the prospect of an actual bed again, all but bouncing excitedly over to the mattress and tossing herself onto it. Reveling in the plush wonderland, she closed her eyes for just a moment, sinking into the bed and permitting her muscles to relax before she realized she should probably acknowledge the owner of the bed again. The shirt she had been given was long enough to only come an inch or so shy of covering her ass, leaving red panties quite evidently on display.

"Thank you again," she turned her head to look up at her hostess, cheek resting on the sheets as she pulled them close to herself, a protective barrier.

Cordelia had changed into something more comfortable when Misty had disappeared into her bathroom, quietly waiting on the edge of the bed. The Supreme released a deep chuckle as Misty landed on the mattress, leaning back carefully into the pillows to lie next her. Glancing over at her, she couldn't help the smile that grew. 

"Seeing you happy is the most wonderful thing."

"I missed you," Misty all but whispered as her gaze slowly roamed the features of her face before returning to those damn captivating eyes. Her fingertips gently traced the curve of Cordelia's cheek before her hand was gently turning the woman's head just a little, watching the light play on those brown eyes and turn them to deep, rich gold tones.

Cordelia's reply was caught in her throat when tears threatened to burst forth, biting her trembling lip as she willed herself to look back at Misty. She wasn't sure when her hand had moved to brace herself against the other woman’s stomach, absorbing the warmth through her palm and fingers as Cordelia did her best to center herself.

"I missed you, too,” she told her again. “I'm so overwhelmed you're actually here; I failed you. I let you take that ridiculous test and you would have been stuck there forever if it weren't for," she huffed out an indignant sigh at the thought of Michael. "I have let so many of you down these last several years. Girls have gone missing under my watch on multiple occasions. Some, if not all were killed, and then the rest died when the bombs hit and I wasn't able to protect them," she choked out, feeling a tear grace her cheek. "And I let you slip away from the coven, from me," a sob wracked her chest, tearing her eyes from Misty's as she forced them shut.

Misty wiped away the tear that slipped out, her lips gentle as they pressed to the woman's forehead while her arms wrapped securely around Cordelia. "You never failed me, sugar. I knew the risks when I took the test. I knew from the beginning that if I failed you wouldn't be able to help me."

Her hand slowly rubbed soothing circles on the other witch's back, closing her own eyes for a long minute. "I know that you're their Supreme now, but you can't do everything, some things are still out of your control, and the more you beat yourself up, the more you're just going to burn yourself out. They're at peace now, I'm sure. Victims hardly can be expected to find hell, right?" It wasn't as if more had died during the test, so it seemed like a safe assumption. Her lips pressed another kiss to the crying woman's forehead. 

Cordelia couldn't help but bury her face in the crook of Misty's neck, holding onto her tightly. "I'm going to fail them again," she muttered.

"No, you won't," Misty said firmly, gently squeezing the woman against her. "With all of us here again to help you, we're gonna figure this out."

With a shaky breath, "Misty, I'm losing my powers," Cordelia whispered against her skin.

"What?" Misty couldn't have heard her right, the words making her hold the other woman that much more tightly. "Since when?" she asked quietly, trying hard not to think about the witch in her arms dying.

"Since Michael completed the test of the Seven Wonders," Cordelia pulled her head from Misty's neck, looking at her with grave eyes. "I'm still strong enough, but I can feel my powers slowly decreasing. I'm literally running this house, Misty. How do you think we still have electricity? I've been doing so since the power was lost; eventually I won't be able to continue to do so, the girls will find out, and then they'll surely know that I will inevitably let them down."

"We'll just have to make our move before that happens," Misty shook her head, holding those dark eyes with her own. "I'm not going to just let that... monster win, especially not with you at stake."

Cordelia rolled her eyes good-naturedly, reaching a hand up to caress her cheek. "There's so much more than just me at stake, Misty. I've got to find a way to save all of you before it's too late."

"You know you don't have to do everything alone, we all have your back here. We'll face it together." A playful sparkle entered her eyes, "Now, with all due respect, Miss, shut up and get your rest."

"Hey!" Cordelia sniffled with a small shove to the woman's chest. "I am still your Supreme. And you need to be the one getting some sleep.”

Misty giggled at the reaction, gently tightening her embrace and nuzzling her hair for a moment. "All the more reason for you to get your rest. ...I'm not sure I can sleep anyway. I'm too scared I won't wake up..."

Cordelia’s heart shattered a bit, nuzzling the woman back against her cheek. "Misty, I'll be here in the morning; we all will be." She pulled the plush duvet over their bodies, tucking them in. “I understand why you’re afraid, but I’m not letting you go back to whatever horrors you faced.” 

"What if I'm not? What if this is just some new twist to make my hell that much worse?" Misty didn't look at the other woman, hating how impossible the thought of something as simple as rest felt.

"You will wake up - with me - in the morning," Cordelia enunciated clearly, tone resolute as she forced Misty to look at her. "I promise. I'm not going to let anything happen to you.”

Misty nodded hesitantly, trying to let the words comfort her even though the unease lingered. Timidly, her legs tangled with Cordelia's, their proximity soothing her troubled mind somewhat. Words kept getting stuck on her tongue, and instead of finding a way to force them out, she slowly closed the distance between them, the sweetest kiss pressed to the corner of the other woman's mouth.

Cordelia melted back into Misty's body easily, eyes fluttering shut at the action. She tugged her companion closer by her hips, arms snaking around her waist. Cordelia rested her cheek against Misty's chest, listening intently to her heartbeat as she willed herself to relax.

Misty nestled into the shorter woman, her eyes closing hesitantly as her fingers rose slowly to lazily play with the woman's hair as the other tried to get some sleep. It wasn't that she wasn't tired; she was exhausted, but her unconscious wasn't really something she felt could trust enough to let herself sleep. Misty wasn't sure how much time passed as she listened to Cordelia's even breathing before she finally allowed herself to toy with the idea of actually succumbing to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hystericlghosts: Expect updates every Wednesday or so to accompany the episodes, although they're not necessarily intended to line up in any way. Please remember to review and let us know what you thought of the chapter. More gayness to ensue next week. 
> 
> (Also, please ignore the next set of notes, for some reason Ao3 is putting our end notes from Chapter 1 at the end of this chapter and I can't find a way to fix it.)


	3. Episode 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The troops rally for a productive day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hystericlghosts: First off, Happy Halloween and Samhain! Correnteza and I have been working tirelessly on this chapter to get it done in time before tonight's episode. This chapter is quite a bit of (gay) filler again, but it's setting up for something big in the next chapter. Also, we predicted that whole Mallory revelation from the last episode way early on and have come to only one logical conclusion: Ryan Murphy is stealing our ideas.

Cordelia's sleep was restless; she woke throughout the night frequently to reach out for the woman beside her, simultaneously reassuring them both. Every time, she found Misty awake, either staring at the ceiling or curled on her side crying quietly. Cordelia did her best to console her until she passed out again.

Minimal light filtered through the curtains, Cordelia waking for the last time that morning. Without opening her eyes, she instinctively reached out for the other occupant of the bed, fingers finding their mark. She scooted closer, nose burying in Misty's neck.

Misty's eyes opened, regarding the ceiling tiles she had counted over a dozen times throughout the night. When she spoke, her voice was quiet, and she didn't even glance at the woman, "Morning." It had felt like the longest night of her life, restless and full of turmoil, and she still couldn't even tell if it was over yet.

Cordelia frowned at Misty's tone and demeanor, it being unusual for the swamp witch. She opened her eyes and sat up, looking down to study her. "You didn't sleep well." It wasn't a question.

Misty turned her head, letting her attention fall on the other woman. "I didn't sleep," she corrected simply, a shoulder lifting to show she wasn't particularly bothered or surprised by it. "You didn't sleep well, though."

"Yes, but I still got some. I know it's going to take time but you need your rest," Cordelia said firmly, examining Misty's face. The poor woman looked so tired and distraught, she seemed less alive than the night before. One of Cordelia's hands laced with Misty's and she scooted closer, lying there quietly with her head resting on Misty's shoulder.

"Eventually," Misty sighed quietly, looking down at their hands. Gently, she squeezed the hand in her own and allowed her cheek to rest against Cordelia's head. "What had you tossing and turning so much?”

Cordelia shrugged. "Just felt I should check on you. I wanted to make sure you were alright." She stretched her legs under the covers before nestling impossibly closer with a quiet sigh. Her muscles were still weary from the day before, causing her to want nothing more than to lie here in bed with her company all day.

A small smile met the words, and Misty turned her head to kiss the top of the other witch's before resting her tired, sore eyes once again. "That's kind of you, but you need your sleep just as much as anyone else here," she nagged lightly as her thumb rubbed the back of Cordelia's hand. She was glad the other woman was finally awake for the day, feeling much less lonely - and terrified.

"Valid, but you haven't slept in what, six years, Misty?" Cordelia slightly scolded. "You're going to have to sleep at some point. But I'll be right here the entire time," she added.

"Maybe later tonight," Misty sulked instead of pointing out that she hadn't been awake for six years either. Nuzzling her face against soft hair, she kept her eyes closed and wrapped a lazy arm around the source of heat beside her. "I don't imagine we could stay in bed all day."

Cordelia hummed back a reply, "You're right. We need to gather the girls and get started." She pecked Misty's cheek swiftly before she suddenly sat up, throwing the covers off both of them. "Come on, Misty. Let's get going," she urged, coming to rest on her knees at the foot of the bed. She didn't make any move to get up, so Cordelia began to run her hands up long, slender legs, so softly that she felt the woman in her bed shiver.

Misty didn't expect the other woman to throw herself out of bed and at the world. She had made the comment as an excuse to put off sleeping for a while longer, not a suggestion for what they should do with themselves. Her eyes closed so innocently, as if she could feign sudden sleep to get out of getting up just yet.

Cordelia was having none of it. 

"You barely slept, another five minutes won't set the place ablaze," Misty murmured, trying to coax the Supreme.

"Misty," Cordelia pouted, sighing as she abandoned her first tactic and moved onto the next. She crawled up the bed halfway before dropping down onto her, looking up at her. "I'll make you a bagel?" she tried.

Misty wrapped her arms back around the woman, hooded eyes sparkling just a tad as she studied her. "What kind of bagel?" The murmur almost sounded intrigued but her voice still implied how unwilling she truly was to leave the comfort of their - no, Cordelia's - bed.

"There's plain and blueberry. Come on, we can eat breakfast with the girls like… ," she hesitated for a moment, "like old times. There's even cream cheese." Cordelia moved to hover over her, trying to gain her full attention. "And I can see if we can even make mimosas," she tried to lure her. Cordelia’s hair fell down to tickle Misty's face, raising an eyebrow in question.

Misty contemplated this information, nearly giving in to the nostalgia and temptation of those promises when something else caught her attention. Her eyes followed the thin chain, and gentle fingertips dipped under the collar of the other woman's shirt to guide the silver into the light, a deep blue wire-wrapped stone hanging from it. The smile that graced her lips was warm as her eyes rose to meet those rich, dark eyes. "You kept it?”

Cordelia froze when Misty's hand had disappeared into her shirt, a sudden blush forming before realizing what was going on. She looked back and forth between the woman's face and the piece being examined in her long fingers.

"I-I did. Yes. I kept it to remember you." Cordelia watched Misty, mesmerized for a good moment before she sat up, reaching behind her neck to undo the clasp. "But I don't need it now that you're actually here," she said sheepishly, trying to pass the necklace into Misty's palm.

Misty was having none of the gesture however, instead taking the ends of the chain and guiding it behind the woman's neck once more to fumble with a little as she blindly tried to clasp it shut. Once she had succeeded, she rested her fingers at the nape of Cordelia’s neck, eyes finding the other witch's again.

"No, I want you to keep it. You've kept it safe for me all this time, what's a few more years?" Something cheeky was in her eyes when she paused before adding, "Besides, it looks nice on you." Slowly her fingers traced down the chain to again gently cup the stone itself, warm from being tucked against Cordelia's chest so long.

Cordelia's fingers traced lightly over Misty’s, looking down at their hands together before dropping hers to her side, moving off of the woman abruptly and going to her closet. 

Misty pouted just a little as she watched the woman go, reluctantly scooting up the bed, propping herself up against the headboard somewhat to watch the Supreme.

It didn't take long before she reappeared from the closet, hauling a medium-sized box in her arms. "This is for you." Cordelia set it carefully before Misty.

The taller woman's brows furrowed a little as she looked down at the box, then to Cordelia, then back. Her unstoppable curiosity already had her fingers tucked under the flaps of the box, chewing the inside of her lip somewhat nervously.

"I, uh... I didn't realize it was already the holidays, and well, you know, I haven't really been able to get out much..."

Cordelia tried to contain her chuckle for a moment, settling on the edge of the bed as she shook her head. "It isn't a gift, Misty, open it." She watched the confused woman finally open the box, internally warming at the way Misty's whole expression lit up at the sight of her neatly packed belongings.

Almost before she knew it, Misty was all but throwing herself onto Cordelia, holding tightly to her and trying to find her words. Someone had actually cared enough to keep her stuff around even though she would have never been able to come back for it. Her lips continued to stumble in forming words, instead pressing a dozen or so kisses to a flushed cheek.

Cordelia feigned trying to push her off, wholeheartedly giggling at the affection. She finally calmed Misty down with her flailing hands, capturing her deep blue eyes. "Now, it's time to get dressed," she spoke, rolling them over and giving her hands a final squeeze before she got off of the bed and made her way into her bathroom.

Misty reluctantly released her hold on the other woman, nodding at the words and slowly, finally, leaving the bed. She carefully skimmed through the clothes inside the box, pulling the clean garments out and settling for getting dressed in the privacy of the now otherwise empty room. Simple familiarities like pulling on one of her favorite outfits helped to ground her in the present, in the reassurance that she really was out of there. 

 

Eventually, Cordelia and Misty left her room, the Supreme stopping at the top of the staircase to listen to the menagerie of mixed sounds coming from the first floor. She quickly started their descent down the stairs; she hadn’t expected anyone else to be up yet.

Finally, a couple distinct voices were heard as she reached the kitchen, eyes gradually widening in surprise at what was transpiring before them.

"I guess we're not having mimosas?" Misty asked over her shoulder.

“That…” the rest of the words died on her lips as Cordelia tried to take the scene in. The kitchen had been all but cleared out, Nan and Myrtle settled in the large empty space. Her attention had been immediately drawn to the pair, hand clutching Misty a bit tighter when she caught the briefest flash of that white-faced demon in the surface between her witches.

The eldest witch had her eyes on the young lady across from her, though her focus was largely on the sound barrier she held around them. Questions burned in old eyes, the silence near deafening as the black glass on the floor between them allowed her ghosts of images Nan was calling forth. The notepad beside the seated woman was slowly becoming filled with neat, precise notes, Nan's lips moving silently as she tuned into what was unfolding before her.

Queenie refused to even look at the damn thing as she thumbed carefully through the book on the island counter before her. She was grateful for the two acting as a barrier between herself and the others while they did their work; it wasn't that she was uncomfortable exploring her Voodoo practices, but she enjoyed a measure of solitude while she worked on piecing together what best went with her needs and intentions. Physically doing something like this felt more proactive than muddling through spell books and speculating their options. 

The smooth sailing didn't quite make it to the dining room, however, two voices in near constant bickering despite Mallory's attempts at keeping peace. The brunette would simply sigh and drag her mentor's focus back to the books taking up half the table before them, her voice not quite timid but still soft when addressing the woman at the other end of the long table. The same couldn't be said of Zoe, however. 

“Madison, I'm just saying-”

“You can always fucking do it yourself if you have an issue, murder muff! It isn't my fault every time she trances back that she isn't consistent about what part of his grounds she's on!” The standing blonde took a long drink with a soft growl as her pencil skated across the large slip of parchment before her, constantly skipping around to try and keep up with Mallory. 

Zoe would have gladly prolonged the bickering, but Mallory gave her a light nudge and pleading look to just help her out with the books they still had to get through until she relented. With a mere look, pages were rapidly whipping to open up to what content would best fit their needs, though even then some books proved to be useless. 

“That… yeah, no mimosas is a safe bet,” Cordelia shook her head, still struggling to take it all in. Before Misty even had a chance to voice her disappointment, their presence was acknowledged.

“Drink up, bitch,” Madison didn't look away from the notes she was scribbling as her free hand lifted a blender with a straw sticking out of it. 

Cordelia pushed her momentary concern aside, making her way into the kitchen and over to the island where Queenie worked diligently. Without so much as a look her way, Queenie pulled over a small cauldron, pouring in a few pre-measured ingredients, Cordelia watching in earnest as she brought up a bone-handled knife in one hand to prick a finger on her opposite hand. Blood gathered on the tip of her finger before she flicked it into the mixture, stirring the contents with a wooden spoon as she looked back to the book beside her on the counter.

"Is that what I think it is?" Cordelia asked in astonishment, leaning in to examine the insides of the cauldron more closely.

"You bet it is.” Queenie looked to her with a confident smile. “Marie Laveau's binding spell, with a couple twists. Michael shouldn't be able to detect any of what we're doing, and if he does try anything against us right now, he'll be in for it."

Cordelia grinned at the young woman's determination, nodding proudly as she moved around Nan and Myrtle's scrying on the floor gingerly as to not disturb them and to the dining room where the light bickering was being held. While she did so, Misty hung back in the kitchen to both see what she could glean about the spell from observing the witch at work while finding some form of breakfast. 

“No, on the left,” Mallory's voice was soft, almost cautious as she eyed the standing woman with the pencil. She could feel Zoe's irritation rolling off of her, but she felt kind of bad given how obviously anxious Madison was, especially if she was willing to work with them instead of do her own thing.

An irritated huff met the words, but the adjustments were made, much to Zoe's amusement, and she leaned close to breathe her praise into the girl's ear. “Looks like you're a bitch tamer, too.”

“Come on, I still need your help here,” Mallory shook her head, trying to ignore the way Zoe made her smile like a fool. “Good morning, Miss Cordelia.”

"Good morning, girls. I see you're all up bright and early," Cordelia addressed them, surveying the work being done at the table. She couldn't help but feel a bit guilty, having just spent the past hour or so with Misty lounging in her bed while her girls had been down here for who knows how long, evidently working on some sort of plan to rid of Michael. "How hard it sometimes was to get any one of you out of bed for morning lessons and now you're all up before me and already hard at work. I taught you well," she couldn't help but smirk, a small chuckle following.

"Yeah, well, good thing Mallory's a morning person," Madison responded with joyful sarcasm, her grin fraudulent as the expression dropped and she rolled her eyes.

"I believe it's safe to say none of us slept much," Zoe added before casting her eyes back down to the book before her.

"Someday you can sleep in again," Mallory murmured, frowning to herself before closing her eyes, trying to focus before grimacing and rubbing her temples. "I don't know what I'm doing wrong... I keep getting flashes of somewhere in the middle of trying to get this done."

"As long as you're keeping them separate from what's going on this damn map, we can deal with it later,” Madison threw the fourth pencil this morning aside. 

"Hey, don't push yourself too hard, okay?" Zoe urged Mallory, ignoring the comment from Madison as she willed her blood to stop boiling under her skin. 

Cordelia shushed Madison when she opened her mouth to release another remark, stepping closer to the youngest witch. "Mallory, what was that again?" she asked intently.

Mallory pulled out one of the chairs and plopped down in it, resting her head in her hand. "I've been trying to trance to help Madison make a map of the area around Outpost 3, but I keep getting these flashes of somewhere that is definitely not there, somewhere I don't think I’ve ever seen before. It's too... alive," she breathed out finally, shaking her head to try and clear her confusion.

"Why don't you tell us more about this place?" Cordelia coaxed gently. "Is it somewhere you may have been before, a memory?" She took a seat beside the distressed witch, resting a hand over hers.

Mallory thought for a moment, unsure of how to best explain. "It's not a memory, not that I think, at least. It all flashes by so fast, I'm not even sure if it's all the same place, but it's got to be. I've seen waves crashing and long, green grass billowing in the breeze. There's no one else present from what I can tell. It feels like I'm buzzing when I catch those glimpses," she trailed off.

“Groundbreaking, you're daydreaming about a beach vacation,” Madison rolled her eyes as she abandoned the table since clearly nothing worthwhile was being done. 

“Is there anything else that stands out to you?” Zoe pressed, ignoring the interruption though even she admitted internally that it sounded like an overstressed mind just lusting for a peaceful distraction. 

“Not particularly? I can’t even tell if I’m actually there during it or if I’m just catching glimpses of somewhere.”

Cordelia's brow furrowed, trying to ignore the familiarity that she couldn't quite place. "And this is definitely the first time you've seen this place?"

"Yes, but I don't even know if all of these visions are of the same place anyway,” Mallory sighed, wishing she could figure out what was going on in her own head.

Cordelia hummed to herself briefly, deep in thought until a loud clamor came from the next room. She didn’t hesitate as she immediately rushed into the kitchen, Mallory and Zoe hurrying after her as the three near skidded to a halt.

Shattered pieces of glass lay where the scrying mirror had previously been, Nan’s eyes wide in abject shock while Myrtle’s troubled ones rose to meet Cordelia’s. Queenie and Misty had frozen where they had been working over the cauldron, fixed on the glass.

“What the hell was that?” Zoe's words came out as a quiet breath, unease permeating the air as multiple pairs of eyes took in the destruction. 

“Nan, what did you see?” A calm sense of urgency was in Cordelia's voice as magic slowly swept the glass into a pile. 

“I can't tell what he's doing entirely… but I think he's talking to the devil, I can hear pieces of his side of the conversation. With his father.” Nan passed over the notepad, frowning deeply to herself as she eyed the mirror's remnants. “We don't have a lot of time.”

Cordelia's eyes skimmed the notepad before dropping it to her side, looking directly to the young woman before her. "I say we get back to work then. Nan, I want you to continue to have Myrtle supplement your efforts in trying another method of scrying for now; your notes prove viable and all the information we can get on what's going on at the outpost will be in our favor. Queenie," she turned to the next witch, "continue your binding spell. Reinforce it however you need and however often. Put up extra wards around the gates and shields over the house if you deem it necessary. Zoe, I'd like you to do your best to get Mallory up to speed in her lessons. Especially go over what you think is needed to help defend us all against Michael. Both of you check in with Madison periodically and assist her if needed while she finishes up the map." 

Cordelia’s gaze finally came to rest on Misty, devoid of any of the gentleness she had possessed earlier. “For now, I’ll have you stationed in the greenhouse with me; we can begin to work on a few things from there.” Cordelia placed the notepad back on the counter before moving towards the back door, not missing a beat with Misty already in her wake. She stopped then, hand on the door knob as she looked over her shoulder at her coven. 

"We reconvene at midnight. Get to work, witches."

 

Zoe settled onto the couch with Mallory, having decided a change of scenery might be refreshing as they toiled over a different stack of books now, some of them familiar enough to the younger witch that she sorted them aside without so much as a second glance. What conversation existed between them initially was a low murmur, Zoe trying to figure out where her student had left off while taking into account how she had essentially jumped around sporadically and discovered things herself. 

“Okay, so, uh, try this,” Zoe set an open book in the other woman's lap, tapping a particular passage on display. 

“I've already tried it, I can't,” Mallory shook her head, glancing up as she chewed her lip. 

“No, you haven't tried it with a book in front of you. Try it.”

The younger witch gave her a skeptical glance and then looked down at the book to scan over the text. A minute or so later, Mallory wiggled her arms a little at her sides to loosen her muscles before closing her eyes, inhaling deeply. She centered herself and focused, a few still moments until a heap of flowers dropped onto the table in front of them. Mallory opened one eye first to peek, brightening that she had succeeded in her trial.

Zoe's mouth was agape, looking from Mallory to the flowers and back to her student again. "You realize what you just did, right?"

"...Yes? I brought you flowers.”

Her mentor was clueless at the act she had performed for her, moving onto her point. "Mallory, you didn't use telekinesis to get them here, you used transmutation. That is some advanced witchcraft, I mean, witches have enough trouble controlling themselves from point A to point B during the process and you just did that with an inanimate object." Zoe ran a hand through her hair exasperatedly, laughing lightheartedly. 

Mallory had picked up one of the flowers, bringing a daisy close to her face to examine it, a coy smile thrown back in the direction of her mentor at the words. "I didn't mean to, this stuff just happens sometimes." 

Zoe was only able to sit and stare at her with admiration until a fresh laugh rose up from her chest at the realization. "Those are from Cordelia’s greenhouse, are they not?" she gestured to the mound of flowers.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Mallory said, trying to hide her laughter as her face turned just a little red.

The attempt at denial only made Zoe laugh harder, eyes shining as she studied the other witch, gently plucking the flower from her fingers only to tuck it into soft hair. "I wish I could see her face right now at the fact that a bunch of flowers just disappeared before her eyes," she dissolved into laughter again.

Mallory's blush only boiled at the gesture, unable to stop the giggles that now seeped through. "Should I give them back?"

"No, we both know you're going to be making yourself a flower crown with them in less than five minutes. You stole them fair and square." Zoe grinned, still snickering to herself. Her enjoyment only grew at the pout thrown her way, the other girl proving her point.

"I still think we should give them back," Mallory objected. "Look, if I do it again it's more practice for me, right? And then you’ll be pleased and Miss Cordelia won’t come after me," she explained eagerly with a laugh. Zoe shrugged, motioning for her to proceed, and with that Mallory closed her eyes once more and inhaled deeply. The flowers vanished in a flash, a playful expression meeting Zoe's. "Now I'd really like to see the look on her face."

"First one would have been better, going from being attached to Misty's to grumpy and confused that her flowers just up and disappeared," Zoe smirked as she leaned back into the couch again, shaking her head in amusement. Leave it to her apprentice to have enough of a conscience to immediately return the stolen goods. 

"Wait, clarify something for me," Mallory started, "was Misty her girlfriend before she, um, died?"

Zoe thought how to best phrase her response, shrugging her shoulders. "No, not exactly."

"What do you mean 'not exactly'? They obviously shared a bed last night," Mallory answered in her growing confusion.

"Yeah, and? So did we," Zoe countered as she met Mallory's eyes challengingly.

"Yes, we did," Mallory didn't back down from the statement just because the other witch was as oblivious as a two year old. "They obviously shared it the entire night, and now you're talking about them making out in another building. So they're only girlfriends because Misty rose from the dead?"

Zoe sighed exasperatedly. "No. They just have something… special? Misty came to us in a time of need and of course Cordelia took her in and offered her sanction. They worked together well, and often, and their friendship developed over time. It's just fate waiting to take its course now," she explained, raising at eyebrow at Mallory.

"Isn't that how most of the students ended up here?" Mallory nudged at her, frustrated though not entirely at this specific topic. "And wait, so now you're saying that you believe in fate?" Now it was one of Mallory's eyebrows that arched as she studied the woman.

Zoe rolled her eyes and dropped her head. "You are so difficult," she murmured with her head in her hands, although smiling nonetheless at the girl's combativeness.

"And you are a brilliant woman, but so dumb sometimes," Mallory rolled her own eyes without even trying to hide the smile on her lips. She stood, delicate fingers tilting Zoe's chin up so Mallory could study her before sweetly pecking her lips and turning. "I'm going to go apologize to Miss Cordelia." With that, she was off.

The unsuspecting witch’s mouth fell open once again as Mallory made her departure, at a loss for words as the spellbook slid off her lap and hit the floor.

 

Queenie slipped away from the table, needing to stretch her legs and leave behind Myrtle as the eldest witch gave an animated story she was recounting to no one in particular as she played a round of solitaire. In the living room, she found Zoe and Mallory napping on the couch as the candles on the table before them burned lower and lower. She shook her head to herself, reaching down to shake a shoulder to rouse them from slumber. 

“Come on, Cordelia and Misty are going to be back inside in a minute, then you two can take this upstairs,” she smirked to herself at the way the words made cheeks flush and arms flail before she was poking around the rest of the downstairs. Nan had already retired for a nap, exhausted from spending the day running through any method of scrying she could think of. 

In the kitchen, she was met with the faint sound of… whatever Myrtle's culinary experiment for them that was simmering on the stovetop, and she took this opportunity to save them all by tossing some spices into the pan before getting the pitchers of water from the refrigerator. It was when she was enjoying her drink that the blondes made their return, streaks of dirt smudging their skin and earning a raised eyebrow. 

“Are the rest of the girls still awake, too?” Cordelia offered a tired smile. “I know it's been a long day, but I think we've all made important headway and once we go over things we can all get some rest.”

Queenie spoke, "Nan headed upstairs a while ago before you returned, the girl was beat and started to get a migraine. Madison is trying to organize all the paperwork we created today and put finishing touches on a second map, and- ah, there's the rest of us." 

Zoe and Mallory slipped into the room, coming up beside Cordelia. The Supreme appraised the bedraggled pair with fond eyes. "What have you two been up to? Make any of my other belongings disappear?" she teased, turning to face them.

"I’ve been getting Mallory caught up like you asked, and it seems she's pretty well-versed in most of what I taught in her time away. We even went over a few new things that she had no problem grasping. She's a natural witch,” Zoe grinned.

Mallory bobbed her head in modesty before saying, “I took the time to help Madison comprise a map of the interior of Outpost 3 as well. I was there long enough I can remember it like the back of my hand, and as much as none of us want to get stuck in that fortress again, it might be a good idea to have it.”

"Very good, girls. Surely it can’t be of any harm for us to be prepared." Cordelia’s eyes landed on the next witch in question. "Myrtle?"

"I, my dear, have been exhausting old connections." The redhead didn't look up from her cards until she finished her game, only then rising. "Misty, if you would be so kind, turn the stove off. I've been waiting for the two of you to join us again so that we may share our findings over a hot meal and have something in our stomachs before we retire." 

Mallory elected to help with the pitchers of water, glancing over to Cordelia curiously. "Have you guys had much luck today?"

Cordelia answered her, "Misty and I tried everything from protection salves to power-increasing potions, and at least a half-dozen versions of each," she sighed as she attempted to rub away the mud on her arms. 

"Some of them seem pretty promising," Misty grinned confidently over her shoulder at the group, turning off the stove. 

"They do, but they're not going to be strong enough alone to take on Michael," Cordelia mused.

"Well, that's why we've all been working our asses off all day," Queenie remarked as she helped bring their humble meal into the dining room. "Myrtle and I used the rest of the black salt I made for the binding spell to protect the grounds, then I put some attention into warding the gates before finally starting to look into our offense options."

“Hopefully you had some luck there, I didn't really find much that we can try that I genuinely believe would work." Zoe glanced at her. "I'll go get Nan so we can figure out what we're doing next." She disappeared up the stairs as the fine china made its appearance.

The group started to form around the table like the previous night, Cordelia analyzing the group before realizing who was still missing. "Where exactly is Madison?" she queried, noting the missing young woman and the lack of retorts that usually accompanied her presence. 

"She's been working in your office, or at least was the last time I saw her," Mallory offered.

Oh my gods, why? Cordelia sighed. "Madison," she called over to the next room, "it's time for dinner!"

"Okay?" came the returning yell as Madison rolled her eyes. "So fucking eat dinner."

Myrtle wasn't necessarily arguing against them having a meal without the antagonizing witch joining them, simply helping herself to fill her dish as she listened to the show provided.

Cordelia tried again. "Madison, please come out here, Myrtle has been kind enough to make us all a meal after our long day."

"More for you then, I'm in the middle of something." Madison didn't sound particularly interested or optimistic in the redhead's cooking abilities, busy with her own devices.

Cordelia bristled, trying her best to not let the girl get to her after the arduously taxing day. "This coven stays together and eats together, so I would get out of my office promptly and come join your sister witches for dinner.”

"We're already under the same roof, I have no appetite, I'm continuing my work." While it was obvious in Cordelia's voice that her patience was wearing thin, Madison simply sounded annoyed at being interrupted.

Cordelia released an audible growl, calling back to the girl in the next room. "Miss Montgomery."

"Supreme Bitch." Madison deadpanned back, "hop off my fucking dick, you still have two.." two dumbasses upstairs. Except those final words were stuck on her tongue suddenly, head swimming as her vision struggled to stay in focus.

"Miss Montgomery," Cordelia said sternly in warning, listening for the next snarky reply, but none sounded. "Madison?" she called again, giving it a few oddly quiet moments, then nodding to her companions to excuse herself before departing the room to head straight for her office, Misty close on her heels.

"Miss Montgomery, this behavior is -" she was cut short as she came around the corner, realizing what had silenced the young woman as she stared. What was happening at her desk was evidently not the normal.

Madison could barely even hear the irritating nagging, head in a bit of a fog as her gaze remained fixated on the page before her. The hand scrawling down words kept pace with the low, exasperated yet smooth voice sounding clearly in her head. It felt like when she zoned out during one of the windbags' speeches, only she didn't quite have control, just one very clear purpose; to allow her arm to move of someone else's accord and keep writing.

Cordelia was breathless as she witnessed what was happening. "Madison... you've finally acquired the skill for divination," she whispered. The Supreme continued to watch in awe for a good moment as Madison stared in alarm at the page. The actions of her arms were evident, the fervor palpable.

"Cordelia, what are you doing in your office? I thought it was time for dinner." Zoe had approached from behind with Nan trailing her, both looking past her at Madison.

"Come on, what's the hold up?" Queenie groaned, heading towards to room with a curious Mallory. She nudged gently through the growing crowd at the doorway to stand beside Cordelia, "What the fuck is happening here?"

The scratch of pen on paper was still thankfully the only sound really getting through Madison's head as she abruptly turned the page, brow furrowed as her fingers scrawled out a few lines that the voice guiding her was murmuring too quickly for her to keep up with. The ability to move again returned with the blonde jolting back with a snarled word of choice, the air filling with the smell of something burning for just a second. Cool air blew over the scorched seal left on her palm, their visitor gone with nothing more than a lingering chuckle.

The witches that were gathered in the doorway peered at the spectacle. Queenie broke from the group to cross the space to where Madison was seated, bafflement crossing her features before she ripped Madison's hand towards her to inspect it. "Damn girl," she huffed as she hissed at her in response, Queenie unyielding in her actions as she pulled it back to look more closely. "What have you gotten yourself into now?" She pulled the papers towards her with her other hand, dropping Madison's unceremoniously on the desk in disbelief. Queenie held the papers up to examine them closer. 

"I know this handwriting,” she turned in bewilderment to face them. “It's Marie Laveau's."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hystericlghosts: And SCENE. This chapter was a bitch to write, I'm so glad y'all can finally read it. Correnteza and I will be taking a small break and will give you your next update in two weeks before the finale of Apocalypse. Also, huge thank you to my roommate who has line edited all three chapters so far, she is the best, especially for putting up with my crazy through all of this.
> 
> Again, let us know what you thought, and please review and subscribe; we love to know what you guys are thinking/feeling! Thanks! (Also, AGAIN, please ignore the double set of authors' notes. I really don't know why this keeps happening.)
> 
> *UPDATE 11/14* Due to uncontrollable circumstances, we've had to put our writing on hold. However, come Monday we will be able to begin again and aim to have the next chapter up for you all before the end of the month.

**Author's Note:**

> Hystericlghosts: Thank you to everyone who's given this a read! Much appreciated and hope you'll stick around for what's to come. Misty and Cordelia will get their proper, sweet, gooey reunion in the next chapter, promise. Correnteza and I will be trying to post chapters weekly. Also, how are people feeling about ZoexMallory? Let us know what you think.
> 
> Enjoy tonight's episode; back to the Murder House we go!
> 
> Please feel free to comment, give kudos, and subscribe!


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